Texas governor signs annexation referendum bill

Houston has a long history of aggressive annexation

August 27, 1977: Mark Swerdlin, vice-president of the Clear Lake City Civic League, speaks to a crowd gathered outside Houston City Hall protesting the annexation of Clear Lake City.

August 27, 1977: Mark Swerdlin, vice-president of the Clear Lake City Civic League, speaks to a crowd gathered outside Houston City Hall protesting the annexation of Clear Lake City.

Photo: Orie Collins/Houston Chronicle

Photo: Orie Collins/Houston Chronicle

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August 27, 1977: Mark Swerdlin, vice-president of the Clear Lake City Civic League, speaks to a crowd gathered outside Houston City Hall protesting the annexation of Clear Lake City.

August 27, 1977: Mark Swerdlin, vice-president of the Clear Lake City Civic League, speaks to a crowd gathered outside Houston City Hall protesting the annexation of Clear Lake City.

Photo: Orie Collins/Houston Chronicle

Texas governor signs annexation referendum bill

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AUSTIN -- People who live outside big cities like Houston now have a right to veto unwanted efforts by local lawmakers' to gobble up their communities in unwanted annexations, handing the governor a win in his special session push to curtail local control.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 6 into law Tuesday, championing the bill's passage after weeks of the Legislature slow-walking many of the governor's 20 priority issues.

"In Texas, of all places, property rights matter," Abbott said in a statement after signing the bill. "Residents from across the state that have expressed their concerns about feeling abused by the annexation process have had their voices heard."

Abbott, who signed the bill in private, said the bill would end "forced annexation" in communities outside big cities.

Sponsored by Humble Republican Rep. Dan Huberty and Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, the bill would trigger an automatic voter referendum in communities larger cities try to annex. The law would apply to unincorporated areas in counties with more than 500,000 people, such as Harris County.

Lawmakers who supported the bill say voters should have a voice to reject an unwanted annexation. They say residents worry their new city services after the annexation will pale to their new tax contribution to the city.

Opponents argue the law is an overreach and will kill cities' ability to manage growth and development in their bustling cities as their population continues to boom.

Houston has a long history of aggressively annexing adjoining property, growing to 667 miles in 175 years. However, annexations in the Bayou City have slowed in the last 20 years after the Legislature tightened up restrictions.

Mayor Sylvester Turner has pushed back against the governor's effort to push the annexation bill, telling the Senate State Affairs Committee that more than 600,000 people travel into the city for work and play without paying taxes there.

"Unless Houston increases taxes on existing residents and property owners, our city needs to retain the ability to grow through annexation to support these commuters," he said.

The measure is one of 20 the governor asked lawmakers to pass during a 30-day special session that concludes Wednesday. The idea is one of many on the governor's conservative agenda that seek to crack down on local government control, including restricting local tree ordinances and banning transactions between municipalities and groups affiliated with abortion providers.

Andrea Zelinski covers politics and education for the Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook. Send her tips at andrea.zelinski@chron.com.